Nationwide College Cheating Scandal - Actresses, Business Owners Charged, Mar 2019

[SuziQ]

Wouldn't the scandal have to involve at least one person in the admissions office?

It would have to involve a lot of departments. IMO.

How did they pass their classes? Did they pay someone to take their exams? We're their degrees bought too?

Sounds like a can of worms opened.

 

[Elley Mae]

Arrest warrants have been issued. Thirteen of the accused were taken into custody Tuesday morning in the Los Angeles area, including Huffman and Loughlin, according to Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the United States Attorney’s Office, District of California. "Those 13 defendants will be making their initial court appearances this afternoon beginning sometime after 2 p.m."

Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin Among Dozens Charged in College Entrance Exam Scandal

 

[maggieg]

In order to be as fair as possible, seems like college admissions should be 100% blind. No names or identifying characteristics allowed.

Thats how its done in Ireland, you take 6 subjects for the last 2 years of secondary school (everyone has to take English, Irish and Maths) and most Universities want you to have a foreign language. You are awarded points on a scale up to 100 (A1 100 points, A2 90 points, A3 85 points, B1 80 points etc) per subject and college places are allocated on that score. No essays, no interviews etc.

I also did the UK admission process that isn't blind like the Irish one, interviews, essays etc and the blind one is so much better.

Wealthy people are still able to have advantages like send their children to private schools etc, get extra tuition but its nowhere near how americans are able to get their children into college, you still have to get there on academic ability

 

[scdiv]

I just can't get over the entitlement. It's not even like they had just worked sooooo hard. The kid asked, "What are you going to do about my F??" (Also, for reference below, Mikaela Sanford is one of the employees who was illegally taking tests and getting grades so these entitled brats could get into these schools.) And yes, both parent and child knew.

From the indictment:

279. On the call, CW-1 told ZANGRILLO that, in order to secure his daughter’s admission to USC as a recruited athlete, she needed to complete the classes she had advised the university she was taking. ZANGRILLO’s daughter inquired, in substance, what CW-1 was doing about an “F” grade that she had received in an art history class she had taken. CW-1 explained that he had “Mikaela retake [the art history] class,” and that she had “already got the class almost done.” CW-1 asked if this plan made sense. ZANGRILLO and his daughter both replied, “Yes.”

280. ZANGRILLO then inquired, in substance, whether Sanford could take his daughter’s biology class as well. Sanford replied that she was “happy to assist.” ZANGRILLO added: “If you can do the biology thing, just makes sure it gets done as quickly as possible, so we have a backup plan for the conditional [acceptance to USC], and then you do the best you can to overturn the art history [grade].”

 

[Gardenista]

Thats how its done in Ireland, you take 6 subjects for the last 2 years of secondary school (everyone has to take English, Irish and Maths) and most Universities want you to have a foreign language. You are awarded points on a scale up to 100 (A1 100 points, A2 90 points, A3 85 points, B1 80 points etc) per subject and college places are allocated on that score. No essays, no interviews etc.

I also did the UK admission process that isn't blind like the Irish one, interviews, essays etc and the blind one is so much better.

Wealthy people are still able to have advantages like send their children to private schools etc, get extra tuition but its nowhere near how americans are able to get their children into college, you still have to get there on academic ability

The Irish system is brilliant and so much fairer. It would be awesome if the US could move towards something like this.

 

[human]

Thats how its done in Ireland, you take 6 subjects for the last 2 years of secondary school (everyone has to take English, Irish and Maths) and most Universities want you to have a foreign language. You are awarded points on a scale up to 100 (A1 100 points, A2 90 points, A3 85 points, B1 80 points etc) per subject and college places are allocated on that score. No essays, no interviews etc.

I also did the UK admission process that isn't blind like the Irish one, interviews, essays etc and the blind one is so much better.

Wealthy people are still able to have advantages like send their children to private schools etc, get extra tuition but its nowhere near how americans are able to get their children into college, you still have to get there on academic ability

Years ago i met a family from England. They were on an around the world trip they had promised the child if she would do well on her exam in England so she would be in the track to attend university.

 

[human]

The Irish system is brilliant and so much fairer. It would be awesome if the US could move towards something like this.

Who would supply all of those alumni dollars if the super wealthy cannot get into the college of their choice? The one that grandpa and daddy attended, for instance

 

[Gardenista]

William H Macy distraught as he arrives at federal building where wife Felicity Huffman is held | Daily Mail Online

 

[Gardenista]

Who would supply all of those alumni dollars if the super wealthy cannot get into the college of their choice? The one that grandpa and daddy attended, for instance

Nobody, so I guess the price of college would come down significantly

 

[Gardenista]

Lori Loughlin flying to LA to turn herself in for college admissions scandal | Daily Mail Online

Lori Loughlin has deleted all her social media and is flying from Canada to Los Angeles to turn herself in after being charged in massive college admissions scandal after it was revealed she paid $500,000 to get her daughters into USC

 

[Elley Mae]

The two sisters’ unlikely athletic recruitment apparently caught the attention of their high school guidance counselor — who started asking questions because the counselor “did not believe that either of the Giannullis’ daughters participated in crew, and was concerned that their applications may have contained misleading information,” the court papers read.

https://pagesix.com/2019/03/12/inside-the-alleged-bribe-that-got-lori-loughlins-kids-into-usc/

 

[maggieg]

The Irish system is brilliant and so much fairer. It would be awesome if the US could move towards something like this.

Partly I think it works because we're a small country. It would probably work for state schools taking students from their home state but I don't think it could work without becoming a lottery system for elite schools

 

[human]

I don’t know about the cheating to get in, but athletes get a lot of extra class help.

And forever the rich have gotten into elkte schools because grandpa and daddy went there.

I doubt if it is easy to flunk a major donor legacy kid at an elite school.

 

[JanetElaine]

The two sisters’ unlikely athletic recruitment apparently caught the attention of their high school guidance counselor — who started asking questions because the counselor “did not believe that either of the Giannullis’ daughters participated in crew, and was concerned that their applications may have contained misleading information,” the court papers read.

https://pagesix.com/2019/03/12/inside-the-alleged-bribe-that-got-lori-loughlins-kids-into-usc/

I wonder if this is how things got rolling. Either way, big ups to the guidance counselor.

 

[Inthedetails]

The two sisters’ unlikely athletic recruitment apparently caught the attention of their high school guidance counselor — who started asking questions because the counselor “did not believe that either of the Giannullis’ daughters participated in crew, and was concerned that their applications may have contained misleading information,” the court papers read.

https://pagesix.com/2019/03/12/inside-the-alleged-bribe-that-got-lori-loughlins-kids-into-usc/

An honest person! I knew they still existed.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

In order to be as fair as possible, seems like college admissions should be 100% blind. No names or identifying characteristics allowed.

Texas has a 10% system where the top 10% of a high school's students get automatic admission to state universities. This means that the better performing schools may see many of their students not automatically admitted in favor of these automatically admitted students who may actually be poorer performing. Well hell, I can't explain it. Read about it here: Texas House Bill 588 - Wikipedia

Also there is at least one very famous court case inolving the UT Law school. Needless to say, the UT system's admission policies get quite a lot of conversation.

 

[scdiv]

Paying someone to take a test or pass an online course - not much of a surprise that exists. Faking fraudulent athletic credentials, awards, posed action shots or using photoshopped pictures - to make a competitive college sports team - that one did take me by surprise. Faking that someone is a highly recruited, competitive athlete. Who knew! Although I guess no one is closely monitoring the water polo team's season-ending injuries...

 

[Tighthead]

Wouldn't the scandal have to involve at least one person in the admissions office?

From what I read, coaches can “bump” an applicant. It happens all the time, athletes get a boost. So the tennis coach sends an email saying “Jane Doe is a tennis recruit” and the applicant gets treated as such by Admissions. There is no follow-up after admission that the kid actually participates. As long as there is no scholarship involvement it works. These are all sports where not everyone is in a full ride like football and basketball.

The children have to have known in most cases, right? Being put on a team for a sport you never played or suddenly seeing a therapist to get diagnosed with a learning disability and get extra time on tests.

I think the children had to know in most cases, but they never actually got put in the teams. Maybe the odd kid had someone write the SAT again for them and they were oblivious.

Edits Okay one kid has a profile on the UCLA women’s soccer page. I assume she will just not show for practices, and get cut as a non-scholarship player?

 

[Inthedetails]

Lori Loughlin’s Daughter Olivia Jade Detailed How Parents Forced Her into College

 

[Breezie]

Could Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman Serve Prison Time for Alleged College Admissions

James J. Leonard Jr., a legal expert based out of Atlantic City, says prison time could be a possibility, though not a likely one.

“This is a federal prosecution brought forth by the Department of Justice that carries with it potential life-altering consequences for those involved. The stakes could not be higher,” he tells PEOPLE. “A custodial term is always a possibility when you are charged with felonies. The question to ask is if it’s a probability, and in this case I don’t see it as a probability with respect to the parents involved.”